Can Grandparents Have Legal Adoption Rights Over Their Grandchildren?
Grandchildren Adoption Not Always Automatic. Grandparents Not Always First Choice; Best Interest Of The Child Is Also Considered!
Deciding to adopt a child into a family is a serious undertaking, one that hopefully will bring great happiness for many years. While adoption laws vary from state to state, the process is always a lengthy one, with the applicant needing to meet many detailed requirements before being qualified to adopt. Among them are:
- Providing a thorough family and social history;
- Being physically and mentally healthy;
- Demonstrating financial stability;
- Showing moral integrity, with no significant criminal background history;
- Demonstrating other factors that the state or agency believe are relevant to the adoption.
At an increased pace, grandparents are petitioning courts to adopt their own grandchildren. This is occurring as result of the incarceration of one or both parents, substance abuse issues the parent(s) are dealing with, or as a consequence of domestic violence, etc. In fact, more than 2.6 million children are living with grandparents, relatives, or close family friends without either of their parents in the home.
Approximately 7.6 million children live in households headed by a grandparent or other … Read More... “Grandparents Adopting Grandchildren: The Darlings Are in the Details”